Stone Maiden

by Tina Gerow

  All color drained from Kefira’s face until her freckles looked like specks of brown floating on a sea of milk. She ran a hand through her already tousled red hair and then when she looked up at Kefira again, a large smile blossomed on her lips. “Pregnant? Truly?”

  Ariel released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She was shocked at Kefira’s reaction, but then chided herself. She should have known that even though Kefira had lost her own child, she would be happy for Ariel.

  “Well at least we know why you’ve been puking all over the place,” Odeda chimed in, her gaze dancing with pleasure, her smile as bright as the sunrise.

  Ariel turned to Dara, met her worried stare, and then remembered that the celebration of her sisters would be short lived.

  “There’s more.”

  “If this is about Charity, then don’t you worry.” Kefira sat up straighter like a mother bear protecting her cub. “Logan would never turn his back on his child. He’ll want to be a part of this child’s life. And if he knows this one is his too, he may choose to follow his heart rather than his sense of duty like he is now.” Her scowl showed clearly what she thought of Logan’s decision.

  Tears began to steam down Ariel’s face. “That’s exactly why Logan can’t know. Ever.”

  “He’s the father, he has every right to know.” Odeda scooted forward on the bed so she could grab Ariel’s hand under the pillow.

  Ariel leaned back against the headboard, the weight of the world pressing down upon her. “This involves the prophecy. I think it’s time you know as much of it as I do.”

  Odeda held up a hand to stop Ariel. “Wait, are we sure we should know? I mean, if we all know it, we could misinterpret it, we could twist it toward evil and not even know it.” She made large agitated gestures with her hands as she spoke. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Dara spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. “I think at this point, it’s too dangerous not to know. We have to protect Ariel and the baby, not to mention Logan, Charity and the other baby. Any information we have could help.”

  Odeda puffed out a breath. “I still think it’s dangerous, but when you put it that way… If Ariel’s baby is involved, then I’d gladly risk my life to protect it and her.”

  The three sisters nodded to each other, then turned expectantly to Ariel.

  Ariel swiped at her tears with the back of her hand. She should have known her sisters would stand behind her no matter what. “Logan didn’t remember it word for word, but it had to do with the son of his blood and the daughter of his destiny. He said he got the impression that if he raised the son, it was a good thing, but if he raised the daughter, evil would prevail.” She glanced at each of her sisters in turn before continuing. “And there was also something about if Logan ceases to exist before his fated time, the son of his blood would avenge him with rivers of dark blood and the heavens will shine on him.”

  A heavy silence descended on the room as everyone digested what Ariel told them.

  Kefira’s next words were so soft, Ariel had to strain to hear them. “And since prophesies are usually linear, that would mean if Charity’s baby was created first, it must be the son of Logan’s blood.”

  Ariel’s heart constricted in her chest as her sisters now fully understood why Logan could never know that the child she carried was his.

  “Wait,” Odeda said startling everyone out of the tense silence. “Alonna, does this actually mean that Ariel’s baby is the child of destiny?”

  Alonna shook her head sadly. “I can not offer explanations or options within the prophecy. I can only deliver it and hope it is interpreted correctly or incorrectly as it is meant to be.”

  Ariel started at the strange wording. “You mean sometimes they can be meant to be interpreted incorrectly?”

  “Of course.” Alonna’s wings began to flutter as they always did when she was thinking, and she began to rise slowly above the headboard. “God allows free will, but by Her very nature, She is omnipotent. She allows the free will and yet She knows all outcomes. How can She not?”

  A pounding started behind Ariel’s eyes as she tried to work through the endless logic loops that line of thought could cause. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, everyone was looking at her. “So, in other words, you can’t tell us anything more about the part of the prophecy we already know.”

  “True.” Alonna slowed her wings until her feet touched the headboard and she stood. “The part I can share is this, ‘should the secret seed be revealed before the appointed time, the destruction will be twofold.’”

  Dara gasped and Ariel noticed the blood drained from her sister’s face. “Dara?”

  Dara’s head snapped up as she realized everyone in the room was watching her. “Then I think we have a dilemma.”

  “You mean besides the fact that this confirms I can’t tell Logan?” Ariel asked.

  Dara gazed at each of the sisters in turn and then looked back at Ariel. “I have another piece of information that could possibly pertain to the ‘secret seed’. But unfortunately, I don’t know if it really is the secret seed referred to in the prophecy, or if it’s Ariel’s baby or even Charity’s. I think it’s best for all involved to keep all of them as secret as we can for now. Alonna said James could know this new piece, but beyond that, everyone who doesn’t already know, should stay in the dark.”

  A small flame of hope sparked, but she damped it down. Just because there were other possibilities she hadn’t considered, didn’t mean she could ever tell Logan about their child. But what would he think of her for keeping this from him, even if he knew it was for the best of all concerned? She wasn’t sure she was prepared to find out.

  Dara took charge once again, breaking Ariel out of her thoughts. “Alonna, you said James could know this new piece. Is it all right if I tell him, or do you need to?”

  Alonna smiled. “I will stay with Ariel while you are gone, cousin. I know of several herbal remedies for morning sickness.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  James watched as Logan stood and began to pace across the suite they shared with Charity. Charity had tried to get Logan to share her bed, but so far he’d resisted, saying he was worried about the baby. James, perfectly happy with the arrangement, liked the fact he was close enough to keep an eye on Charity and Logan. Not to mention proud that Logan could use his gift of genetic intuition.

  Logan probably didn’t understand why he was so resistant to Charity, other than her horrific personality, but he followed his gut nonetheless. James resisted the urge to smile with parental pride at the obvious display of Logan’s abilities.

  Charity sat in the armchair Logan had just vacated and began brushing out her long blonde hair. “Why don’t you sit down, Logan.” She dropped her voice to almost a whisper. “Or come to bed.”

  James couldn’t miss the sultry undertone in her voice, or her pointed glare at him to leave them alone, which he studiously ignored. He snapped the open paper he was reading between his two hands and continued to scan the headlines.

  Logan turned and began to pace to the other side of the room. “Something is wrong with Ariel and they aren’t telling me what it is. Why would they keep me in the dark on this?” When he reached the far side of the room, he turned and began to pace back again.

  James lowered the paper in time to see temper flash across Charity’s face, her jaw set, her eyes narrowed.

  James cut in smoothly before Charity’s tantrum hit boiling point. “I’m sure Ariel is fine. She’s always been healthy and strong. Everyone gets a bug now and then.”

  “Why do you even care that some of your hired help has caught some cold?” Charity demanded of Logan. “You should be worried about taking care of me and the baby, not pining after some fat, unattractive, blue collar worker!” She yelled the last three words and stood, clenching her fists at her sides.

  James watched as Logan’s head whipped around, his anger a palpable force in the room.
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  Dara’s quiet voice laced with steel interrupted before anyone could speak. “I may have sworn to protect you, Charity, but as soon as you give birth, I owe you a fist right in your expensive nose job.”

  All eyes turned to see Dara standing in the doorway, her normally serene expression suffused with rage. Her eyes narrowed to angry slits, her fists curled at her sides. James noticed the way wisps of her blonde hair had fallen out of her clip to curl around her face. He longed to tuck the hair back into place, just for an excuse to touch her.

  “Dara, I’m sorry you had to hear that.” Logan stepped close to Charity. “I’m sure Charity is sorry and is just tired from a busy day.” When Charity opened her mouth to protest, Logan grabbed her arm and steered her toward her bedroom. After pushing Charity inside, he turned back to them before closing the door. “She and I need to have a talk. Will you two excuse us?”

  “I can’t believe Logan ever slept with that woman! I’d like to wring her scrawny neck.”

  James gestured for Dara to sit in the chair Charity had vacated. “I believe there would be a line for that particular honor.”

  Dara sat and then chuckled despite her anger. “Don’t make me laugh when I’m still trying to be angry.”

  “I’ve never seen you angry, it’s quite an interesting display.” He leaned forward to take her hand in his, but she snatched it away.

  Realizing what she’d done, color crept over her milky skin, and her cheeks burned bright red. She cleared her throat. “I’ve come to tell you of the prophecy, as well as a new piece Alonna just told us.”

  James’ brow furrowed. “Why now? A while ago, it was all secrets and silence. Is Ariel seriously ill?” His gut clenched at the thought of anything bad happening to her. He may be over his romantic feelings for her, but he would always care for her.

  Dara hesitated before answering. James immediately studied her closer. He’d never known any of the gargoyles to lie, but he saw all the physical signs of one about to start right now.

  Finally, she said, “Ariel’s condition isn’t serious, it will just take a few months to clear it up. But she will be fine.”

  From all of Dara’s physical reactions, she’d told the technical truth, but James knew she’d told a lie of omission by the way her blood pressure spiked and her pupils dilated. Interesting. He’d bet his fangs this also had something to do with the prophecy. There was no other reason for her to omit information from him. “I’m glad to hear it’s nothing to be concerned about. You will let me know if there’s anything I can do to help? I will always care for Ariel.”

  Dara breathed a small sigh of what looked like relief at not being questioned further about her statement. “Of course, James.”

  James leaned forward and studied the long line of her neck. He could sense the life pulsing through her veins and wondered what she would taste like. When he realized what he was doing, he shook his head to clear the thought and sat back. He’d fed earlier tonight, there was no reason for these thoughts and sexual attraction wasn’t enough to make him think of taking a bite out of Dara. What the hell is going on here?

  “James?” Dara’s soft voice interrupted. “Are you all right? You look a bit pale. Have you fed?”

  “Forgive me, Dara. I think the stress of the last few months has been taking its toll.” He gestured his weakness away. “Please, tell me about the prophecy.”

  Dara studied him critically for a moment. Once she seemed satisfied he was all right, she settled back more comfortably in the chair and told him about the prophecy. He asked a few questions, but finally, exhausted, he sat stunned, rolling over the implications in his mind.

  Should the secret seed be revealed before the appointed time, the destruction will be twofold.

  That could mean one of two things. He wasn’t supposed to reveal the truth about Charity’s baby or he wasn’t supposed to reveal that Logan was his son. And he couldn’t afford to guess at which the prophecy meant.

  Dara tapped her unpolished fingernail nervously against the arm of the chair. The little ‘click, click’ sounded loud in the tense silence which hung between them. “So you understand now why I didn’t choose to tell anyone about you and Logan.” Again, her physical reaction showed she hadn’t told him everything.

  “Dara, you wouldn’t be hiding something from me, would you?”

  She huffed out a breath and met his direct gaze. “Because of the newest part of the prophecy, we all decided to keep the information exchange to a minimum. The only reason I filled you in this far was that Alonna insisted you could know these parts.”

  James laughed out loud. This woman was a delight. “I’ve never met a woman who admitted she lied to me so eloquently. And without actually lying,” he added.

  Dara smiled innocently. “I didn’t lie. I just told you I’m not telling you everything, and I gave you a perfectly rational explanation of why.”

  “I know. That’s what I find delightful about you.” He leaned forward. “You’re a puzzle a man could spend centuries unlocking.

  Dara shot to her feet. “I’m not a puzzle to be unlocked, James. And I’ll thank you to keep all of your puzzle keys to yourself.” With that parting shot, she quickly left, closing the door behind her.

  “Well, well. I do seem to have the ability to fluster her. I think I like it.”

  *****

  Nicholas motioned for Astor to enter his office and went back to scanning the morning paper. Finally, after letting Astor stand shifting from foot to foot for several long minutes, he spoke. “I’m scanning the entertainment page and I don’t see anything about Charity’s engagement to Logan. Only a small article about Charity donating the rather expensive engagement ring we gave her for a charity auction.” He carefully folded the paper and set it aside before turning his deadly gaze toward Astor.

  “I don’t know what happened. They were quite an item just a month ago, and Charity can manipulate any man. She’s a natural.” He seemed ready to babble on indefinitely.

  Nicholas cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Apparently not natural enough. You said Logan was weak. You told me if she pressured him on the red carpet, to save face, he would go along.” He let his voice rise to a menacing level. “Logan is obviously resisting her.” He took a deep calming breath and let his anger flow away.

  When he spoke again, he made sure his tone was cool and cultured. “But I did see something extremely interesting on the news this morning.” Nicholas picked up a remote control from his desk and clicked on the TV inset in the far wall. It flared to life showing a scene from last night’s charity event.

  Charity chatted happily for the camera, while Logan turned away as something else caught his attention. When he didn’t turn immediately back, the camera followed his line of sight and showed a shapely brunette gargoyle Nicholas knew James had been involved with in London once upon a time.

  Nicholas hit the pause button and the woman’s intimate moment with Logan froze on the screen. “I think this is the reason Charity is having problems controlling Logan. He’s fallen in love with someone else while we were all busy fucking Charity senseless and implanting her with the child of Destiny.”

  Astor’s pale face turned even whiter as he ripped his gaze away from the screen and turned toward Nicholas. “But that’s only Ariel Knight. She’s the bodyguard James hired to protect Logan. There’s nothing to worry about, I’ll…”

  “You fool.” Nicholas let power flow through his fingertips and watched in satisfaction as Astor flew across the room like a rag doll. “Ariel Knight is a gargoyle. A warrior for God.” Nicholas stood and walked around his desk to lean back against it so he could watch Astor struggle to sit up. “She works directly for the angel Gabriel. So, if she’s involved, it only confirms that Logan is the one the prophecy refers to. When there is a gargoyle involved, you always worry about it or you’ll find yourself as a pile of ashes.”

  Astor wiped blood away from his bottom lip with the back of his hand and pulled himself up to
stand unsteadily in front of Nicholas. “But if she’s supernatural, then she can’t be carrying the child of blood. Gargoyles have been around for centuries and none of them have ever become pregnant, according to James.”

  Nicholas snorted at the ignorance of this young one. “You are so weak, I don’t know how James puts up with you. If you didn’t still have some further use, I’d kill you here and raise the collective vampire IQ.” Nicholas toyed with the idea of killing him anyway. His main plan for infiltrating James’ lair had backfired when James revoked all of his access, even after Astor had invited him. But waste not, want not. Astor could still be of some limited use before Nicholas had the pleasure of killing him.

  He brushed a piece of lint from his slacks and glanced back at Astor. “God created the gargoyles personally, and in the nine hundred years since their creation I’ve never heard of one of them giving birth either. If they were capable of reproduction, someone would have knocked them up long before now. They are quite attractive.”

  Astor seemed relieved that Nicholas agreed with him. Nicholas ended his comfort with a single sharp look. “But,” he held up his hand stop sign fashion. “Since God released them from service, their status could have changed in that area. They can now glamour their wings and walk in the daylight. It would be just like God to allow them to carry the child of blood, thinking the infant would be safe with a pack of gargoyles protecting it.”

  Astor looked as if he were weighing his options. Speak and risk Nicholas’ wrath or remain silent and get it anyway. Finally, his timid voice sounded, barely reaching even Nicholas’ supernatural hearing. “So, we should kill her so Charity has a chance with Logan?”

  Nicholas sighed and tried not to snap the younger man’s neck in two. It would be immediately satisfying, but in the end would negate all his hard work at infiltrating James’ organization. “It would be best if we can eliminate all three at the same time. The gargoyle and her spawn as well as Logan. That way we avoid the revenge of the child of blood and Logan is unable to make another child of blood.”